


Faded

by winterfirehair



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, First Order, Force Bond (Star Wars), Humiliation, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Moral Dilemmas, Rebels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-11
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-03-30 02:20:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13940532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winterfirehair/pseuds/winterfirehair
Summary: In fiction, there's always the good side and the bad side. And most of the time, the good guys win. Life isn't that simple. Life isn't black and white, good and bad. No one is truly evil nor good. And sometimes, individuals have to learn that the hard way. | Rating and tags will be updated while the story progresses.





	1. Chapter 1

Hux knew he should have stayed in his bed today.

He had had a bad feeling about this day right from the start and if someone had told him what was about to happen, he would never have left his chambers in the first place.

But here he was while around him, chaos had erupted. People were running around, shouting, while the alarm completed the whole scenario with its intense sound. Hux didn't even try to calm the situation, he knew that in the current panic, his words wouldn't help. He almost sighed in relief when he saw Phasma enter the room looking as professional as she always was.

"General, we have five dead soldiers and a stolen TIE fighter. There was a traitor amongst us.", she informed him as soon as she was in hearing range. Despite the fact her voice sounded calm and he could not see her face, Hux knew she was furious. If there was one thing Phasma hated, it was deserting soldiers. He could only share her opinion.

"Any idea who it was? Shouldn't the area be monitored?"

"Whoever it was, they disabled all cameras. We have no video material to name the culprit."

Hux cursed silently. If the deserter killed five Stormtroopers all alone, he was strong. It was only a matter of time until their Supreme Leader would expect an explanation for the situation. Like on command, the dark voice boomed through the room. Hux bit his lip, feeling his skin prickle uncomfortably.

"General Hux, I await you in my chambers right now."

Standing frozen, the man opened his mouth, stupidly searching for the question of why, despite the fact he knew to never ask a question like that. The payback came quickly. A shocked shriek erupted from the ginger's throat right before his air support was cut off as he was lifted into the air, struggeling against the force and clawing at his throat, trying to keep his trachea from being crushed.

"You better not keep me waiting any longer, General."

The next second, Hux was sent flying across the room like a ragdoll, roughly landing on the ground near the doors in a tangled heap of limbs. If it had not been for all the years of training, he would've shouted in pain, maybe even shed some frustrated tears of humiliation. But Hux had changed over the years. Clenching his jaw, he pulled himself up. His leg was at least sprained, he could feel it, but he did not give anyone the satisfaction to see him hurt.

Only Phasma, knowing him long enough now, saw both the humiliation in his eyes as well as the limp in his walk as he left.

\---------------------------

When Hux rushed through the doors into the chambers of their Supreme Leader, Snoke was already out of patience. Hux had never seen their Leader so furious about something. He was intelligent enough to know this had something to do with their deserter, but he could think about nobody who was such a great loss that it would make Snoke so angry.

"General Hux. It was about time."

"Supreme Leader, I'm very sorry about this chaos. Captain Phasma and I will make sure the culprit is -"

"Silence! Unlike you fools I already know who the traitor is and I want you to make sure he's escorted back and eliminated like the scum he is!"

The booming voice make Hux shiver slightly and he locked his eyes on the ground, a confused frown on his face.

"Of course, Supreme Leader. But, may I ask ... who it is? Who is the traitor?", he asked, lifting his gaze to look at Snoke.


	2. Chapter 2

If someone has asked Kylo Ren what drove him to the drastic decision of becoming a traitor, he would've had no answer. There were so many reasons he could name and every single one was good or bad enough. He was and would forever be a part of the First Order, whether he liked it or not. The sticky blood of thousands of innocent people stained his hands red, invisible yet known by everyone from one end of the universe to the other. Many called him a monster, but what hurt the most was the fact that he knew they were right. He was a monster and no matter what happened, he would never be able to change that fact.

And yet he was here, trying to do the right thing for once. He would never go back. Not that he would have a chance. He could feel Snoke's fury even now. If he came back, he would be executed in public as a filthy traitor. Rebel scum they would call him. And he would deserve it all.

But Ren had no plans to die soon. He would take his old master as an example and choose the better alternative of hiding. His destination was the Outer Rim where he would start a new life as a normal citizen, far away from the First Order and the Rebellion. This was no longer his fight.

His jaw tightened. Despite the fact he had chosen this path, he couldn't help but feel anxious. If he had felt alone before, he was truly lonely now. Lost in space. There was no place where he could go and truly live a normal life. There was no one waiting for him, nowhere. He had killed his father and countless other people. His mother had given up on him.

Closing his eyes, he sighed. Someone was waiting for him, he knew. But that person would never see him again, not if he managed to hide for the rest of his life, never being caught by the First Order.

Slamming his fist on the control panel in front of him he forcefully banned the man from his thoughts. It was better for them both if they simply forgot each other. They never had a chance anyway.


	3. Chapter 3

Armitage Hux could not tell which part of his body hurt the most. He leg was throbbing and so was his head, but there was an ache in his chest he had felt only once before. He had been a child back then, unloved and unwanted. A mistake, born out of an affair that wasn't supposed to happen in the first place.

It had been a similar ache back then, when the man he called father had told him his life was nothing more than a mistake. He had been born out of lust, not love. And just like his father had never loved the woman he impregnated, he had never loved the result of it.

Staring out into the darkness that was space, he wondered. He wondered if he would be a different man if he had been born by a different woman. If his father had loved him. He wondered if he would be standing here if his past had been different.

And he wondered if he could have saved the man that had become a traitor today. He was closer to Kylo Ren than anybody, even though only the two of them knew that. He should have noticed that the other was planning to desert.

"General Hux, there was nothing in the traitors chambers that could be used to find out where he may be hiding. He either destroyed all evidence of his plan to desert or he made sure to take everything with him. There are no clues at all."

Hux turned to face the Stormtrooper and nodded. "Just as I thought. He's not stupid enough to leave something we could use to track him down. Thank you. You can go."

The Trooper saluted before turning away and returning to his normal duties. Hux looked after him, while heavy steps neared. He did not need to look to know it was Phasma.

"Any idea about this mess?", she asked, her voice low. Hux looked around, then shook his head. "I have no idea what's going on." Biting his lip, he continued: "I never thought he would be able to do this."

"Me neither. Do you think we'll find him?"

The man was silent for a moment, thinking about it. He knew their Supreme Leader was mighty and the force was with him in ways a normal person like him couldn't even begin to understand. There was no way Ren could hide forever. They would find him eventually.

"Is it wrong to say that I hope we don't? He'll be executed if we find him."

Hux' voice was barely a whisper now and for a moment he had the impression that Phasma had not heard him, but then she spoke up, her voice calm.

"Don't let anyone hear you talking like that."

Turning, she walked away, leaving the general alone with his confusing thoughts and feelings.


End file.
